Anthropology Exam 2

Front 1

Numeric/Chronometric Dating Methods

Back 1

Dendrochronology
Carbon 14 dating
Potassium Argon
Estimates a numeric age

Front 2

Stratigraphy

Back 2

Uses natural geologic processes that build layers over time; usually older layers are on the bottom
Relative dating method

Front 3

Biostratigraphy

Back 3

Compares flora/fauna from one strata at a site with the flora/fauna at another site that have already been dated (chronometrically)
Works well when studying fossils
Best method for South African fossils

Front 4

Paleomagnetism

Back 4

Iron mineral components acquire a weak permanent magnetism when cooled
Datable materials: volcanic rock and clay that have been exposed to high temperatures

Front 5

"Normal"

Back 5

Normal refers to our current pole orientation (which is now moving)

Front 6

Relative Dating Methods

Back 6

Stratigraphy
Biostratigraphy
Paleomagnetism
Determines which fossils are older, but no exact date

Front 7

Skeletal Remain Inferences

Back 7

Human or nonhuman
Age at death
Sex
Ancestry
Injuries
Identifying features

Front 8

Anthropology and Race

Back 8

Humans do not meet the biological criteria for racial divisions; form discrete groups based on physical characteristics

Front 9

Adult Age Determinism

Back 9

Based on a sequence of degeneration in adult skeleton (18+ years)
Pubic symphysis
Auricular surface
Cranial suture closure
4th sternal rib end

Front 10

Stature Estimation

Back 10

Strong correlation between bone length and stature
Sex and ancestry specific
Use regression formulae to predict stature

Front 11

Paleopathology

Back 11

Study of ancient disease processes and trauma in human bone
All bone diseases are caused by either too much osteoblastic activity (bone production) or osteoclastic activity (bone destruction)

Front 12

Dental Disease

Back 12

Caries or cavities-destruction of tooth, typically from high carbohydrate diet
Antemortem tooth loss, abscesses

Front 13

Forensic Anthropology

Back 13

The examination of human skeletal remains for law enforcement agencies to determine the identity of unidentified bones

Front 14

Forensic Anthropologists

Back 14

Deal strictly with the human remains
Some may be trained in evidence collection techniques

Front 15

Sex Estimation Subpubic Angle

Back 15

Male: narrow and V-shaped
Female: wide and U-shaped

Front 16

Sex Estimation Greater Sciatic Notch

Back 16

Male: narrow, V-shaped
Female: wide, U-shaped

Front 17

Human Vs. Non-human Bone

Back 17

Non-human bone tends to be denser and heavier
The cancellous (spongy) bone of the epiphyses (end of bone) is also denser in non-humans
Cranial bones of non-human are thicker and denser
Muscle attachments are often more robust and pronounced in non-humans

Front 18

Sex Estimation Cranium Nuchal Crest

Back 18

Male: rough, robust, protruding
Female: rounder, smoother

Front 19

Sex Estimation Cranium Mastoid Process

Back 19

Male: larger, more robust, pronounced
Female: smaller, more gracile

Front 20

Sex Estimation Cranium Supra-Orbital Margin of Eye Orbit

Back 20

Male: rounded, smooth, heavier, blunt
Female: sharp, well-defined, thin

Front 21

Sex Estimation Cranium Supra-Orbital Ridge (Brow Ridge)

Back 21

Male: more pronounced, robust
Female: smoother, more gracile

Front 22

Sex Estimation Cranium Mental Eminence

Back 22

Male: more square, robust, reinforced
Female: one midline point, more rounded, gracile

Front 23

Age Estimation Dental Eruption

Back 23

First molar comes in a 6 years of age, second at 12, and third at 18
Used to age fossils
Deciduous teeth replaced by adult teeth

Front 24

Age Estimation Pubic Symphysis Wear

Back 24

As the individual gets older, the face of the pubic bones get more worn

Front 25

Taphonomy

Back 25

Anything that happens to an organism from the time of its death to the time it is recovered

Front 26

Dental Terms: Mesial

Back 26

Toward the anterior midline of the mouth (side of tooth closest to middle)

Front 27

Dental Terms: Distal

Back 27

At the greatest distance from the anterior midline of the mouth

Front 28

Dental Terms: Occlusal

Back 28

Chewing surface of the teeth

Front 29

Dental Terms: Labial

Back 29

Toward the lips

Front 30

Dental Terms: Buccal

Back 30

Toward the cheek

Front 31

Dental Terms: Lingual

Back 31

Toward the tongue

Front 32

Histology

Back 32

Study of tissues

Front 33

Pathology

Back 33

Study of abnormalities in the health of an individual

Front 34

Subadult Age Estimation

Back 34

Based on sequence of growth and development (in utero to ~ 17/18 years)

Front 35

Adult Age Estimation

Back 35

Based on sequence of degeneration in adult skeleton (18+ years)

Front 36

Cribra orbitalia

Back 36

Fine healed pores, rounded smooth lesions on superior border of eye orbits

Front 37

Poratic hyperososis

Back 37

Fine healed pores, rounded smooth lesions on vault

Front 38

Monostotic

Back 38

Affecting single element

Front 39

Polyostotic

Back 39

Affecting many elements

Front 40

Methods of Positive Identification

Back 40

Use unique characteristics: medical and dental x-rays, DNA
Fingerprints
Dentition (amalgams-fillings)
Radiography-highly individualized
Biological profile provides a presumptive identification

Front 41

Primate Class: Mammalia

Back 41

Body hair
Homeothermy (ability to regualate body temperature)
Long gestation (pregnancy) and live birth
Mammary glands
Larger cerebrum

Front 42

Heterodont vs. Homodont

Back 42

Mammals: heterodont (molars, incisors, etc.)
Non-mammals: homodont (one type of tooth)

Front 43

Pentadactyly

Back 43

Five digits

Front 44

Prehensile

Back 44

Grasping hands and feet, maybe tail

Front 45

Primate Traits

Back 45

Nails instead of claws
Prehensile hands and feet
Opposability of big toe and thumb
Pentadactyly
Clavicle
Eyes rotated forward with a post-orbital bar or plate
Reduced snouts

Front 46

Primate Teeth and Dietq

Back 46

Generalized dentition
Teeth can slice, cut, and grind
Heterodontic
No major dietary specialization
Eat wide variety of foods
Chewing aids digestion

Front 47

Primate Vision

Back 47

Highly developed sight
Color vision
Post orbital bar or plate
Binocular stereoscopic vision (depth perception)

Front 48

Stereoscopic Vision

Back 48

The way the brain processes binocular vision

Front 49

Binocular

Back 49

Both eyes receive the same image

Front 50

Arboreal Theory

Back 50

Explain features in terms of adaptation to life in trees
Smell lost usefulness
Vision, tactile and eye-hand coordination
Increased brain size: feeding and eye-hand coordination

Front 51

Manual Predator Theory

Back 51

Explains the traits in terms of arboreal feeding adaptation
Proposed by Mat Cartmill
Binocular vision to capture and locate prey in trees
Prehensile hand to grasp prey
Cerebral cortex for hand-eye coordination

Front 52

Monogamy

Back 52

Single male, single female, and dependent young
Closely bonded to mates
Males invest in offspring and guard females verses rivals
Intensely territorial
Little sexual dimorphism

Front 53

Polyandry

Back 53

One female, many males
Males and others care for young
Very rare

Front 54

Multi-Male/Multi-Female

Back 54

Males compete for dominance rank
Rank is correlated with reproductive success
Rank changes frequently
Fission/fusion social structure-a special type of multi-male/multi-female group

Front 55

Solitary Foragers

Back 55

Individuals range and forage alone
Dependent young stay with females
Female raises offspring by herself
Male home ranges encompasses many female's
Orangutan and most nocturnal

Front 56

Polygyny

Back 56

One male, many females
Males compete to access to groups of females and leads to high sexual dimorphism
All male groups = bachelor groups
Outsiders exert constant pressure
Tenure of resident males is often short
When new males join groups, they often kill off unweaned infants

Front 57

Intersexual Selection

Back 57

Favors traits that make males more attractive to females
Female choice

Front 58

Intrasexual Selection

Back 58

Favors traits that make individuals successful in male-male competition
Dominance hierarchies
e.g. large body size, horns, large canines

Front 59

Behavioral Ecology

Back 59

The study of behavior within an ecological and evolutionary framework
Behaviors evolved through natural selection

Front 60

Gibbons

Back 60

Smallest ape
Monogamous
Territorial
Frugivorous
Males and females same size
Extreme arms: nearly always in trees

Front 61

Enamel Hypoplasia

Back 61

An enamel growth defect in teeth, enamel is thin and deficient

Front 62

Harris Lines

Back 62

A bone growth defect that occurs during childhood
Used to indicate person's health
Caused by malnutrition, disease, or trauma

Front 63

Perimortem

Back 63

At or around the time of death

Front 64

Antemortem

Back 64

Before death, during life

Front 65

Osteoclasts

Back 65

Bone removing or destroying cells

Front 66

Osteoblasts

Back 66

Bone growing or forming cells

Front 67

Cranial Suture Closure

Back 67

Used to determine age
Frontal bones fuse completely in childhood
Other cranial sutures fuse later

Front 68

Nutritional Deficiencies

Back 68

Detected in skeleton
e.g. Rickets, caused from lack of Vitamin D

Front 69

Bone Infection

Back 69

Detected in periostial layer of bone
e.g. Yaws- type of Syphilis contracted from dirt

Front 70

Bone Deformities

Back 70

Can be genetic or something that develops over the individual's lifetime
e.g. Spina Bifida suffer from a malformation of the spinal cord

Front 71

Burning

Back 71

Can break down bone or make harder and more resistant
Depends on heat, context, and type of bone

Front 72

Monogamy

Back 72

Exclusive bond between male and female for long period of time
Most intensive levels of male's infant care

Front 73

Female Infanticide Protection

Back 73

Females try to confuse males with paternity by having multiple mates and mating when not fertile
Develop relationships with males to defend young

Front 74

Primate Intentional Communication

Back 74

Gestures, facial expressions, visual displays, vocalizations, social grooming

Front 75

Natural Habitats

Back 75

Observe primates in the wild
Difficult to observe
Little interaction with humans
Jane Goodall-Chimpanzees

Front 76

Provisioned Colonies

Back 76

Easier to observe
Behavior may be changed
Gombe National Park-Chimpanzees

Front 77

Chimpanzees

Back 77

Fission/fusion groups
Multi-male/multi-female group
Female dispersal, males stay in natal group
Male dominance hierarchy
Territorial
Eat leaves, fruit, insects, meat

Front 78

Bonobos (Great Apes)

Back 78

Pygmy Chimpanzees
Live in Democratic Republic of Congo
More gracile (small) than common chimpanzees
Sexual intercourse plays a major role in relationships
Knuckle walker

Front 79

Primate Communication Autonomic Responses

Back 79

Scent
Raised hair
Blushing

Front 80

Perimortem

Back 80

At or around the time of death

Front 81

Clade

Back 81

One ancestor and all descendants
Any two members of a clade are more closely related than any member and no-member

Front 82

Prosimians

Back 82

More primitive than monkeys and apes
Small and solitary
Nocturnal
Cling and leap to trees when they move
Asia Africa
Grooming claw on 2nd toe
Post-orbital bar

Front 83

Female and Offspring

Back 83

Females spend most of their lives pregnant or caring for young
Males typically don't contribute to rearing of offspring
The most basic social unit is mother and offspring

Front 84

Lorises

Back 84

Prosimian
Small, solitary, nocturnal
Found in Asia and Africa

Front 85

Lemurs

Back 85

Found in Madagascar
Some nocturnal, some diurnal
Live in larger groups than most prosimians
Reliance on smell

Front 86

Hominoids

Back 86

Apes and humans
No tail
Larger than monkey in brain and body
Invest most time and effort with young
2:1:2:3
y-5 molar pattern
Clavicle, shoulder, joint, and blade allow lifting of arm above head
Longer arms than legs, besides humans
Suspensory climbers

Front 87

Baboon

Back 87

Old World Monkey
Large multi-male/multi-female
Live on African savanna
Food is spread out so cover area by foraging as group
Grass, leaves, fruits, and occasional mammal
Male dominance

Front 88

Gorillas

Back 88

Hominoids
Largest living primate
Africa
Sexual dimorphism
Knuckle walkers
Polygyny
Leaves and fruit

Front 89

Gibbons

Back 89

Smallest living ape
Arboreal brachiator
Almost no sexual dimorphism
Fruits and leaves
Mainly monogamous
Actively defend territories

Front 90

Bunadont Molars

Back 90

Omnivorous primates
Low, rounded cusps

Front 91

Tribosphenic Molars

Back 91

Three cusped shape

Front 92

Dendrochronology

Back 92

Tree ring dating
Reflects climate changes, temperature, and rainfall

Front 93

Fission/Fusion

Back 93

A primate society in which population splits into smaller subgroups at times and then later reunites, affected by food resources

Front 94

Dominance Hierarchy

Back 94

The ranking system within a society that indicates which individuals are dominant in social behaviors
Provides social stability
Ruled by those with greatest access to food or sex

Front 95

Howler Monkey

Back 95

New World Monkey
Mexico and South America
Enlarge hyoid bone in throat that allows sound heard at considerable distance
Live in trees
Eat mainly fruit and leaves
Howling warns away competitors, defend their territory

Front 96

Tarsiers

Back 96

Small, solitary, nocturnal
Indonesia
Large eyes
Eat insects, spiders, and some vertebrae
Lack moist nose
Grooming claw

Front 97

Bilophodont Molar Pattern

Back 97

Four cusps in molar teeth
Old World Monkeys
Used to aid in chewing plants

Front 98

Catarrhini

Back 98

Biochemically and physically more similar to humans
Fruits, leaves, sometimes insects
Tropical rain forest
Savanna or grassland
Mostly terrestrial (walk on ground)
Quadrupedal
Highly variable social group structure
2:1:2:3
Narrow nostrils

Front 99

Platyrhini

Back 99

2:1:3:3
Prehensile tails
Wide nostrils
Mainly arboreal

Front 100

Orangutan

Back 100

Southeast Asia
High sexual dimorphism
Agile climbers/hangers
Females resist copulation with socially immature males
Males are sexually mature before socially mature
Vegetarian
Solitary and polygamous

Front 101

Radiometric Dating

Back 101

Rely on the decay of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes

Front 102

Potassium Argon Dating

Back 102

40k decays to 40Ar in volcanic rock
Half life of 1.31 billion years
Dates eruption
Ar gas escapes
New rock = K (potassium)
Over time K degrades new Ar is trapped

Front 103

Strepsirhini vs. Haplorhini

Back 103

Strepsirhini: lemurs and lorises with moist noses
Haplorhini: tarsiers and anthropoids no moist nose
Some scientists see several characteristics of anthropoids in tarsiers

Front 104

Metaphysis

Back 104

The region where the diaphysis meets the epiphysis

Front 105

Coronal Plane

Back 105

Divides the body in front and back portions

Front 106

Periosteum

Back 106

The connective tissue covering the bone

Front 107

Superior and Inferior

Back 107

Superior is above
Inferior is below

Front 108

Medial and Lateral

Back 108

Medial: closer to the mid-line of the body
Lateral: farther from the mid-line of body

Front 109

Parallel Evolution

Back 109

Independent evolution of traits in closely related species

Front 110

Misconceptions of Evolution

Back 110

Evolution has direction
Natural selection always works
Natural selection leads to perfection
All structures are adaptive (everything can change to fit the environment)

Front 111

Photographic Superimpostion

Back 111

Overlay image of skull over antemortem photo
Look for match of features

Front 112

Facial Approximation

Back 112

Reconstruct face on skull using clay
Doesn't account for mouth shape, hair, or eye color

Front 113

Homoplasy

Back 113

Similarity due to the independent evolution of same traits in both species e.g. birds and flies

Front 114

Convergent Evolution

Back 114

Independent evolution of similar trait in rather distinct evolutionary lines

Front 115

Primitive Traits

Back 115

When a trait has been inherited from an earlier form

Front 116

Dental Formula

Back 116

Incisor, canine, premolar, molar

Front 117

Anthropoids

Back 117

Higher primates
Monkeys, apes, and humans
Compared to prosimi:
larger body, brain and rely on visual
All diurnal except one
Arboreal and terrestrial
Old and New Worlds

Front 118

Midsagital Plane

Back 118

Divides body into equal left and right halves

Front 119

Medullary Cavity

Back 119

The space on the inside of the diaphysis that contains yellow marrow

Front 120

Infanticide

Back 120

The killing of an infant by an adult male
Different explanations
New males eliminating others offspring to ensure females will reproduce with new males

Front 121

Agonistic Behaviors

Back 121

Unfriendly and often aggressive interactions

Front 122

Affliliative Behaviors

Back 122

Strong and friendly behaviors that promote social bonds

Front 123

Transverse Plane

Back 123

Divides the body into upper and lower parts

Front 124

Anterior/Posterior

Back 124

Anterior: toward the front
Posterior: toward the back

Front 125

Proximal/Distal

Back 125

Proximal: on the limb, closer to the body
Distal: farther down the end of the limb

Front 126

Clinal Variation

Back 126

Variation in humans that don't have specific boundaries
i.e. skin color

Front 127

Adult Age Estimation Pubic Symphysis

Back 127

Perhaps the most reliable method to determine the age of an adult skeleton
The place where the two laves of the innominate come together at the front of the pelvis
As the individual gets older, the face gets more worn

Front 128

Adult Age Estimation Auricular Surface of the Ilium

Back 128

Determines age using the point of articulation of the innominate and sacrum

Front 129

Adult Age Estimation 4th Sternal Rib

Back 129

Looks at the morpholical changes of the ribs by the normal aging process

Front 130

Adult Age Estimation Cranial Suture Closure

Back 130

The relative positions of the bones continue to change during the life of the adult which help forensic anthropologists determine age